*The information for this blog can be found at: https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/uspto-videos/trademarks/tm-newsflash-15-assignments-and-ownership-changes What happens when the ownership of your trademark changes? This is a common occurrence caused by a business changing its name, selling your business, or assigning your trademark rights to another individual and/or company. Three common types of ownership changes are (1) change in name, […]

*Information for this blog post is provided by Lehrman Beverage Law. If you have tried to register a trademark you may have come across words like ‘generic,’ ‘descriptive,’ ‘arbitrary,’ or ‘fanciful’ just to name a few. Someone (maybe a lawyer?) might have told you to trademark a fanciful name and not a generic name. What […]

*The information for this blog can be found here. If your mark includes a name, portrait, or signature that is of a living individual and you want to register the mark at the USPTO, you must provide the USPTO certain information regarding that individual. The USPTO requires: A statement that the name, portrait, or […]

We receive SO many questions about specimens. When do I submit one? How do I submit one? What type of specimen? And even, what is a specimen? Have no fear! Let’s break it down. Taken from the USPTO website: a specimen is a sample of how you actually use the mark in commerce on your […]

USPTO Trademark Registration The difference between a standard trademark application versus an Intent to Use application. We always get a lot of questions regarding trademarks, about the registration process, and the different types of trademark applications. Watch the video to learn more about the USPTO and how to register trademarks. Contact […]

There are a couple of issues with trademarking “Sunshine State Brewing Company.” (1) You cannot register a geographic location on the federal registry (USPTO). (2) You cannot register a generic word or phrase. Let’s delve into the reasoning. For “Sunshine State Brewing Company” you cannot own the words “brewing company” because they’re generic. The word […]

I do a fair bit of work in intellectual property and, especially, trademark issues. It always surprises me what bullies, blusterers, and even a$$holes trademark attorneys can be. The general jerky-ness of attorneys is well publicized in social media and the vast number of lawyer jokes out there (for example: http://www.jokes.com/funny-lawyer-jokes). But, even among lawyers, […]

I thought I’d try something new on the blog this week… I’ve been posting some interesting articles that I’ve found on other blogs, websites, etc. that I think are particularly relevant to small businesses (especially breweries, which are near and dear to my heart). So, today, I thought I’d recap the “best of” for this […]